Public participation key to vibrant city

Tifa Asrianti ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 07/14/2008 10:08 AM  |  City

The Jakarta administration should encourage more public participation in managing the cityscape and open spaces, experts said Friday.

Marco Kusumawijaya of the Institute of Global Justice said the administration and residents should cooperate to create a vibrant city.

"It is normal to have a dominant culture in a cityscape. However, a city should be able to incorporate ideas from all walks of society," he said.

He added citizens should also be involved in urban planning, together with planners and engineers.

"Public participation will allow Jakarta residents to better understand their environs," he said.

Yayat Supriatna, an urban planner at Trisakti University, said the administration should allow residents to design their own living spaces.

For instance, he said, the administration could focus on a densely populated area susceptible to flooding, and let residents have a say on how to improve it.

"The administration can ask architects or planners to help residents get their ideas on paper," he said.

"Funds for construction will then come from the administration itself or from the residents, who will willingly finance it because it's their plan.

"It's a long process. However, if it works, it will be applicable to other areas."

Wiriyatmoko, head of the city's Spatial Planning Agency, said his office tried to encourage public participation by making the planning process transparent.

"We will hold a design contest for the Dukuh Atas interchange station. We believe this program will give people a greater sense of involvement in their city," he said.

Dukuh Atas station will act as a hub for several modes of public transportation, such as the MRT, busway, Railink (airport train), the city circle train and the monorail.

"We are still discussing the details with (assistant to the city secretary for development) Yani Sarwo Handayani," he said.

Marco praised the contest format, saying it would give Jakarta residents a chance to make their ideas heard.

"The contest process will need a budget, so the city administration should plan it a year in advance," he said.

The design competition format is one of several ways of encouraging public participation, Yayat said. He added the winning design would undergo further revisions to ensure it was technically and economically feasible.

He suggested the administration publish submitted designs to allow the public to comment or add their own ideas.

"The city administration should form a planning team comprising independent experts and businessmen to judge the designs," he said.

Wiriyatmoko said his office would launch a website detailing future projects. The agency has already enlisted the help of Bandung Institute of Technology's Urban Design Study Center to design the MRT.

"This MRT plan is a backup plan. We will publish it on the website so people can learn about it," he said.

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